Major General Robert R. Ruark and Colonel Ted Hodgson today addressed the IRU’s General Assembly and expressed US Central Commands’ great appreciation for the IRU’s intensive and complementary efforts those of US CENTCOM in moving Afghanistan from aid to trade by allowing road transport to drive progress, prosperity and ultimately peace in this war-torn country and throughout the Central Asian region.
See Major General Ruark’s video message
“One of the ways to strengthen our economy is to graze our animals, collect dairy from them and sell it to local markets, but only if that village has been cleared from mines and unexploded ordnance.”
Shir Agha, resident of Doshakh village
Mine clearance moves communities one step closer to a safe and normal life
The primary source of income for Doshakh village is animal husbandry and the collection of firewood and bushes to sell and use in daily life. The village and surrounding areas, including grazing land, were contaminated with mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) during the Soviet occupation.
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“After the clearance, we can graze our goats, cows and sheep and more importantly our children are now able to go to school safely using school buses”, said Zainab, one of Du Rahi Hairatan village resident. Du Rahi Hairatan, Nayeb … Continue reading
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Aghul Khan village, located in Salang districts of Parwan provinces is only 40 m far from the highway, which connects Kabul to the northern provinces.
This village, in which 450 families live, was mostly contaminated with landmines and explosives during the Soviet Union occupation and had created many problems for the residents. Continue reading
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Sholukto, Dara Zendan, Qalamajar and Aque Mazar are villages in Samangan province which line the highway that could be described as the arterial supply route connecting Kabul to the Northern provinces of the country. All these villages have serious problems with contamination of landmines and other explosive remnants of war.
“Mines and other explosives left behind from the Soviet occupation and civil war have created massive problems for us. We were not able to use agricultural land, grazing land, attend to our livestock and collect firewood from the contaminated areas or the road for transportation.” said Azizullah one of the residents of Dara Zendan village. Continue reading
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Aka Khail is located in Qarabagh district of Kabul province. Most of the land is agricultural and grapes are a major agricultural product of the community. However, the village was contaminated with landmines and other explosive remnants of war during the internal civil wars in 1998. Once the area is cleared of mines and explosive remnants of war, approximately 2,025 families will benefit. Continue reading
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The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) and the International Road Transport Union (IRU) today officially launched their unique, innovative public-private partnership aimed at strengthening road safety in Afghanistan by removing landmines and Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) along roads … Continue reading
